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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. spell — magic
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fork — in a road
  9. board — a committee
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — all right
  16. board — to get on
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spell — letters
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com